The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-09-09
POLYGAMY IN NEW YORK.
Startling Re relations by a PrOmi-
nent Lawyer.

A writer in the New York Star, evil
IDENTIFY lawyer with enough honesty
left to grow indignant over what his
fellow lawyers in assembly convened
have done with the marriage laws of
this state, shows conclusiveIy that
polygamy may be carried on in this
state legally, and with perfect immunity
from punishment; that is, if the Of
fender be not a woman. A man may
have two or more wives, all legally his
wives and jointly his heirs, each entitled
to her third of the third of his estate
when he dies, and they may alI live IN
der the same roof with him, rear three
| families of children by him, and he be
not disturbed unless the first one of the
wives is the disturber. He need have
no fear of the police as long as this one
of the women doesn't resent her degra-
dation. And he needn't mind then, for
The law simply declares the complainant
must be the innocent party, and then
it decides that she is not q lawful wife,
while the second wife is, and conse-
quently cannot obtain allmony. So if
she, the first legal wife, would be sup
continue to live as one of his concubnes.
This is pretty state of things, isn't
But it has been brought about by law
yers for their own benefit: and it Is
about as strange to hear of lawyer
denOuncing the brigandage handlwOrk
of his profession as to find that this COZ
dition of lax marital relations exists ia
this community.
And this state of things, and even
worse, is the actual and very common
condition of things in this city. l know
OF several cases OF this polygamous life
led by meD of prominence, while the
instances of men living with the second
wife and supporting the first without
actually living with her are still more
numerous. The cases in which men
live almost openly with mis- tresses with
the consent of wives whom they sup
port and reside with would fill columns
| if only the names were printed. In
stances in which women have two hus-
bands, both complaisant and con-
siderate enough to keep quiet, are not
! so frequent but they exist in numbers
not to be laughed at. COmplaisant hus-
| bands who consent for their own sup
port that their rich wives shall have
Yich yo1ny lovers ara plentiful in this
great mart, where pretty much every
| thing is for sale-cheap and nasty, too.
| The fathers and mothers, too, who are
willing to benefit by the attractiveness
of daughters and the folly of rich old
lovers are disgustingly numerous. Ii
one could find a paper base enough to
print the infamous directory of this
class of beasts of both sexes, it would
make a full page of mighty astounding
and disgusting reading.
hot - IL
courts a short time ago which singu
larly illustrates this lax morality and
general depravity. l shall disguise it
only by the OMISSION of names,
but l have no doubt the parties
thereto will recognize themselves. A
young man became enamored of Ger
man brokers' wife. He frightened the
! timId Dutchmau out of the country
and subsequently furnished the abaud-
oned wife falsifed proof that her hus-
band was dead. He married her-in
fact married her twice. Subsequently
he became enamored of another mans
wife; the latter obtained a divorce on
| the ground of adultery, and the lover,
abandoning his first wife, took the
divorce tout of the State, married her,
returned to New York and lived openly
with No. 2. Wife No. had him arrested
anu ne pledQeQ GQaC QeG QrSC nus
band was not dead. She set up
that she was never married to the Ger
man broker, and the adventurous hus-
band was held for the grand jury; but
the indictment was thrown out on the
opinion of tbs district attorney, that
there was q marriage with the German
and none with the second husband.
One of the lawyers in the case was at
that time living with the wife of the
former client with that clients knowI-
edge and consent. The opposing law
yer was living with the divorced wife of
former partner without interference
from the partner and with the
knowledge and acquiescence of
his own wife. And the opinion
of the district attorney was written by
an assistant who had two wives on his
hands at the time. If the case had
come to trial on indictment it would
have stood strong chance of being
tried before justice who had two
wives living, and was then in contempt
of his own court for marrying second
time against a decree of divorce de-
priYing him of the right to marry again
during his first wife life. Here's a
state of things"
Tho